The anti-angiogenic effect of dexamethasone in a murine hepatocellular carcinoma model by augmentation of gluconeogenesis pathway in malignant cells

Exploring the Molecular Mechanisms of Huaier on Modulating Metabolic Reprogramming of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Study based on Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and Bioinformatics

BACKGROUND

Huaier (Trametes robiniophila Murr), a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in China as a complementary and alternative therapy to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Past studies have shown that Huaier can arrest the cell cycle, promote apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. However, how it regulates the metabolism of HCC is still unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the metabolic-related function of Huaier in treating HCC with an in-silico approach.

METHODS

A network pharmacology and bioinformatics-based approach was employed to investigate the molecular pathogenesis of metabolic reprogramming in HCC with Huaier. The compounds of Huaier were obtained from public databases. Oral bioavailability and drug likeness were screened using the TCMSP platform. The differential gene expressions between HCC and non-tumor tissue were calculated and used to find the overlap from the targets of Huaier. The enrichment analysis of the overlapped targets by Metascape helped filter out the metabolism-related targets of Huaier in treating HCC. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and topological screening revealed the hub nodes. The prognosis and clinical correlation of these targets were validated from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, and the interactions between the hub nodes and active ingredients were validated by molecular docking.

RESULTS

The results showed that Peroxyergosterol, Daucosterol, and Kaempferol were the primary active compounds of Huaier involved in the metabolic reprogramming of HCC. The top 6 metabolic targets included AKR1C3, CYP1A1, CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP17A1, and HSD11B1. The decreased expression of CYP3A4 and increased expression of AKR1C3 were related to the poor overall survival of HCC patients. The molecular docking validated that Peroxyergosterol and Kaempferol exhibited the potential to modulate CYP3A4 and AKR1C3 from a computational perspective.

CONCLUSION

This study provided a workflow for understanding the mechanism of Huaier in regulating the metabolic reprogramming of HCC.

Novel phloretin-based combinations targeting glucose metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma through GLUT2/PEPCK axis of action: in silico molecular modelling and in vivo studies

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is commonly associated with disturbances in glucose metabolism and enhanced glycolysis. However, a controversial role for gluconeogenesis was reported to be tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressive. We investigated novel anti-HCC treatments through either the simultaneous inhibition of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis by "phloretin" and "sodium meta-arsenite", respectively (Combination 1); or the concurrent inhibition of glycolysis and induction of gluconeogenesis by phloretin and dexamethasone, respectively, (combination 2). A total of 110 Swiss albino mice were divided into eleven groups, HCC was induced by N, N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene. We have measured the expression of the glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2), Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinases (PEPCK), Caspase-3, Beclin 1, Cyclin D1, and cytokeratin 18 genes; blood glucose and ATP levels; alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking was performed to investigate the potential drug-receptor interactions. Histologically, the phloretin-based combinations resulted in a significant regression of malignant tissue compared to various treatments. GLUT2 and PEPCK mRNA analysis indicated successful off/on modulation of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Docking confirmed the potent binding between phloretin, sodium meta-arsenite, and dexamethasone with GLUT2, PEPCK, and Retinoid X Receptor Alpha, respectively. Molecularly, Combination 2 resulted in the highest reduction in cyclin D1, cytokeratin 18, and Beclin 1 expression contemporaneously with the upregulation in Caspase-3 levels. Biochemically, both combinations caused a significant reduction in ATP levels, ALT, and AST activity compared to the other groups. In conclusion, we propose two novel phloretin-based combinations that can be used in treating HCC through the regulation of glucose metabolism and ATP production.

Potential benefit of osismertinib plus bevacizumab in leptomeningeal metastasis with EGFR mutant non-small-cell lung cancer

Background

EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is prone to leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) after Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) treatment. Our previous study suggested that osimertinib plus bevacizumab was safe and effective in LM from EGFR-mutant NSCLC. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of osimertinib plus bevacizumab with osimertinib in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with LM.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the data from 27 LM patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC who received osimertinib with or without bevacizumab at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. Next, we investigated the antitumor efficacy of osimertinib plus bevacizumab in an LM xenograft model using the H1975 (EGFR exon20 T790M and exon21 L858R) cell line. We examined the ability of osimertinib plus bevacizumab compared with osimertinib to penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and explored the potential mechanism.

Results

Our retrospective study observed the improved survival of LM patients in osimertinib plus bevacizumab group. The median overall survival (OS) of the patients who received osimertinib and bevacizumab (n = 16) compared with osimertinib group (n = 11) was 18.0 months versus 13.7 months (log-rank test, p = 0.046, HR = 2.867, 95% CI 1.007–8.162). The median intracranial Progression-free Survival (iPFS) was 10.6 months versus 5.5 months (log-rank test, p = 0.037, HR = 3.401, 95% CI 1.079–10.720). In the LM xenograft model with H1975 cells, the combined treatment significantly increased the effective intracranial concentration of osimertinib, modulated the level of E-cadherin and downregulated the levels of EGFR and downstream signaling pathways including p-AKT and reduced tumor microvessel density (TMD), indicated that combined osimertinib with bevacizumab may exhibit a synergistic effect in EGFR-mutant LM model possibly by modulating the level of E-cadherin.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate the potential benefit of osimertinib plus bevacizumab in LM with EGFR-mutant NSCLC, and more larger sample size research are still needed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03331-9.

Advantages and drawbacks of dexamethasone in glioblastoma multiforme

The most widespread, malignant, and deadliest type of glial tumor is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Despite radiation, chemotherapy, and radical surgery, the median survival of afflicted individuals is about 12 months. Unfortunately, existing therapeutic interventions are abysmal. Dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid, has been used for many years to treat brain edema and inflammation caused by GBM. Several investigations have recently shown that Dex also exerts antitumoral effects against GBM. On the other hand, more recent disputed findings have questioned the long-held dogma of Dex treatment for GBM. Unfortunately, steroids are associated with various undesirable side effects, including severe immunosuppression and metabolic changes like hyperglycemia, which may impair the survival of GBM patients. Current ideas and concerns about Dex's effects on GBM cerebral edema, cell proliferation, migration, and its clinical outcomes were investigated in this study.

Canagliflozin Modulates Hypoxia-Induced Metastasis, Angiogenesis and Glycolysis by Decreasing HIF-1α Protein Synthesis via AKT/mTOR Pathway

The microenvironment plays a vital role in tumor progression, and hypoxia is a typical microenvironment feature in nearly all solid tumors. In this study, we focused on elucidating the effect of canagliflozin (CANA), a new class of antidiabetic agents, on hepatocarcinoma (HCC) tumorigenesis under hypoxia, and demonstrated that CANA could significantly inhibit hypoxia-induced metastasis, angiogenesis, and metabolic reprogramming in HCC. At the molecular level, this was accompanied by a reduction in VEGF expression level, as well as a reduction in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins and glycolysis-related proteins. Next, we focused our study particularly on the modulation of HIF-1α by CANA, which revealed that CANA decreased HIF-1α protein level by inhibiting its synthesis without affecting its proteasomal degradation. Furthermore, the AKT/mTOR pathway, which plays an important role in HIF-1α transcription and translation, was also inhibited by CANA. Thus, it can be concluded that CANA decreased metastasis, angiogenesis, and metabolic reprogramming in HCC by inhibiting HIF-1α protein accumulation, probably by targeting the AKT/mTOR pathway. Based on our results, we propose that CANA should be evaluated as a new treatment modality for liver cancer.

Melatonin stimulates transcription of the rat phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene in hepatic cells

Melatonin plays physiological roles in various critical processes, including circadian rhythms, oxidative stress defenses, anti-inflammation responses, and immunity; however, the current understanding of the role of melatonin in hepatic glucose metabolism is limited. In this study, we examined whether melatonin affects gene expression of the key gluconeogenic enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). We found that melatonin treatment increased PEPCK mRNA levels in rat highly differentiated hepatoma (H4IIE) cells and primary cultured hepatocytes. In addition, we found that melatonin induction was synergistically enhanced by dexamethasone, whereas it was dominantly inhibited by insulin. We also report that the effect of melatonin was blocked by inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK), RNA polymerase II, and protein synthesis. Furthermore, the phosphorylated (active) forms of ERK1 and ERK2 (ERK1/2) increased 15 min after melatonin treatment. We performed luciferase reporter assays to show that melatonin specifically stimulated promoter activity of the PEPCK gene. Additional reporter analysis using 5'-deleted constructs revealed that the regulatory regions responsive to melatonin mapped to two nucleotide regions, one between -467 and -398 nucleotides and the other between -128 and +69 nucleotides, of the rat PEPCK gene. Thus, we conclude that melatonin induces PEPCK gene expression via the ERK1/2 pathway at the transcriptional level, and that induction requires de novo protein synthesis.

Disrupting Mitochondrial Pyruvate Uptake Directs Glutamine into the TCA Cycle away from Glutathione Synthesis and Impairs Hepatocellular Tumorigenesis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a devastating cancer increasingly caused by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Disrupting the liver Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier (MPC) in mice attenuates NAFLD. Thus, we considered whether liver MPC disruption also prevents HCC. Here, we use the N-nitrosodiethylamine plus carbon tetrachloride model of HCC development to test how liver-specific MPC knock out affects hepatocellular tumorigenesis. Our data show that liver MPC ablation markedly decreases tumorigenesis and that MPC-deficient tumors transcriptomically downregulate glutathione metabolism. We observe that MPC disruption and glutathione depletion in cultured hepatomas are synthetically lethal. Stable isotope tracing shows that hepatocyte MPC disruption reroutes glutamine from glutathione synthesis into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. These results support a model where inducing metabolic competition for glutamine by MPC disruption impairs hepatocellular tumorigenesis by limiting glutathione synthesis. These findings raise the possibility that combining MPC disruption and glutathione stress may be therapeutically useful in HCC and additional cancers.

Tompkins et al. utilize stable glutamine isotope tracers in vivo and ex vivo to demonstrate hepatocyte MPC disruption increases TCA cycle glutamine utilization at the expense of glutathione synthesis and decreases hepatocellular tumorigenesis.

Dual Targeting of VEGFR2 and C-Met Kinases via the Design and Synthesis of Substituted 3-(Triazolo-thiadiazin-3-yl)indolin-2-one Derivatives as Angiogenesis Inhibitors

The vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and c-mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (c-Met) are members of receptor tyrosine kinases which have a crucial role in the process of angiogenesis. Isatin moiety is a versatile group that is shared in many compounds targeting both c-Met and VEGFR2 kinases. In this study, we designed and synthesized different derivatives of substituted 3-(triazolo-thiadiazin-3-yl)indolin-2-one derivatives (6a-y) as dual inhibitors for c-Met and VEGFR2 enzymes. Eight compounds 6a, 6b, 6e, 6l, 6n, 6r, 6v, and 6y were assessed for their anticancer activities against a panel of 58 cancer cell lines according to the US-NCI protocol. Compound 6b revealed the most effective antiproliferative potency (GI %), with broad-spectrum activity against different subpanels of the most NCI 58 tumor cell lines. An in vivo hen's egg-chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) angiogenic study was carried out for 21 compounds 6a, b, d, f, h, i, k-o, t, and 6x to check their mortality and toxicity. At 100 μM concentration, all compounds produced 100% mortality of the chick embryos. At 40 μM concentration, 13 compounds did not exhibit any detectable mortality (nontoxic) and revealed a potent antiangiogenic effect. Seven compounds 6b, 6d, 6f, 6n, 6o, 6t, and 6x significantly decreased the number of blood vessels, and compound 6b was the most effective antiangiogenic agent comparable to dexamethasone. Molecular docking studies were conducted for compound 6b to investigate its mode of interaction within the binding site of both c-Met and VEGFR2 kinases.

Glucometabolic Reprogramming in the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Microenvironment: Cause and Effect

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a tumor that exhibits glucometabolic reprogramming, with a high incidence and poor prognosis. Usually, HCC is not discovered until an advanced stage. Sorafenib is almost the only drug that is effective at treating advanced HCC, and promising metabolism-related therapeutic targets of HCC are urgently needed. The “Warburg effect” illustrates that tumor cells tend to choose aerobic glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which is closely related to the features of the tumor microenvironment (TME). The HCC microenvironment consists of hypoxia, acidosis and immune suppression, and contributes to tumor glycolysis. In turn, the glycolysis of the tumor aggravates hypoxia, acidosis and immune suppression, and leads to tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion and metastasis. In 2017, a mechanism underlying the effects of gluconeogenesis on inhibiting glycolysis and blockading HCC progression was proposed. Treating HCC by increasing gluconeogenesis has attracted increasing attention from scientists, but few articles have summarized it. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms associated with the TME, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis and the current treatments for HCC. We believe that a treatment combination of sorafenib with TME improvement and/or anti-Warburg therapies will set the trend of advanced HCC therapy in the future.

Dexamethasone inhibits stemness maintenance and enhances chemosensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma stem cells by inducing deSUMOylation of HIF‑1α and Oct4

It has been controversial whether patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) should receive glucocorticoid therapy during chemotherapy. Recent studies have demonstrated that glucocorticoids increase the therapeutic sensitivity of tumors to some chemotherapeutic drugs, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, dexamethasone (Dex) was used to treat HCC stem cells. The results demonstrated that Dex reduced stemness maintenance and self-renewal of HCC stem cells, promoted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, inhibited migration and angiogenesis and, more importantly, increased cell sensitivity to the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir drug system in vitro and in vivo. Further mechanistic analyses demonstrated that Dex inhibited small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification of several proteins in HCC stem cells, including hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, an important hypoxia tolerance protein, and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4), a crucial stemness maintenance protein. Inducing deSUMOylation of HIF-1α and Oct4 reduced their accumulation in the nucleus, thereby inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and stemness maintenance. These findings provide a new perspective to the study of the mechanism underlying the anti-hepatocarcinogenesis effects of Dex. Due to the few side effects of glucocorticoids at low doses and their anti-inflammatory effects, the appropriate combination of glucocorticoids and chemotherapeutic drugs is expected to improve the survival of HCC patients and their prognosis.

Emerging roles and the regulation of aerobic glycolysis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer has become the sixth most diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is responsible for up to 75–85% of primary liver cancers, and sorafenib is the first targeted drug for advanced HCC treatment. However, sorafenib resistance is common because of the resultant enhancement of aerobic glycolysis and other molecular mechanisms. Aerobic glycolysis was firstly found in HCC, acts as a hallmark of liver cancer and is responsible for the regulation of proliferation, immune evasion, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance in HCC. The three rate-limiting enzymes in the glycolytic pathway, including hexokinase 2 (HK2), phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1), and pyruvate kinases type M2 (PKM2) play an important role in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis in HCC and can be regulated by many mechanisms, such as the AMPK, PI3K/Akt pathway, HIF-1α, c-Myc and noncoding RNAs. Because of the importance of aerobic glycolysis in the progression of HCC, targeting key factors in its pathway such as the inhibition of HK2, PFK or PKM2, represent potential new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of HCC.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells inhibit jaw osteonecrosis in a rat model: A major adverse effect of bisphosphonate therapy

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a serious adverse effect of antiresorptive and antiangiogenic therapies. MRONJ is identified by chronic wounds in the oral mucosa associated with exposed necrotic bone. We hypothesized that zoledronic acid (ZOL) impairs keratinocyte and fibroblast function and reduces soft tissue vascularization; therefore, treating MRONJ with proangiogenic cells may benefit MRONJ patients. The effect of ZOL and dexamethasone (DEX) on gingival fibroblasts and keratinocytes was investigated. In-vitro, ZOL inhibited fibroblast and keratinocyte proliferation, delaying scratch healing. In-vivo, exposed bone was detected at tooth extraction sites, mainly in ZOL(+)/DEX(+) rats; and was associated with significantly decreased soft tissue vascularization, serum-VEGF, and tissue-VEGF. Local injection of early and late endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) healed 13 of 14 MRONJ lesions compared with 2/7 lesions in the mesenchymal stem cells, and 2/6, in culture-medium group. The EPCs reduced necrotic bone area, increased serum and tissue VEGF levels. EPCs engraftment was minimal, suggesting their paracrine role in MRONJ healing. The EPC-conditioned medium improved scratch healing of keratinocytes and fibroblasts via VEGF pathway and elevated mRNA of VEGFA and collagen1A1. In conclusion, a novel MRONJ treatment with EPCs, increased vascularization and improved epithelial and fibroblast functions as well as cured the lesion.

Glucocorticoid-mediated effects on angiogenesis in solid tumors

Angiogenesis is essential in tumor development to maintain the oxygen and nutrient supply. Glucocorticoids have shown both direct and indirect angiostatic properties in various types of solid cancers. In most of the reported cases glucocorticoid-mediated actions involved suppression of multiple pro-angiogenic factors expression by cancer cells. The anti-angiogenic properties of glucocorticoids correlated with diminished tumor vasculature and reduced tumor growth in multiple in vivo studies. However, when glucocorticoid treatment is considered, possible adverse events should be taken into account. Additional research is needed to further test the use of these steroidal drugs in cancer therapy.

Therapeutic Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on a Rat Model of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) is a common retinal vascular disorder leading to visual impairment. Currently, the general strategies for BRVO are symptomatic therapies. Cardiovascular aspects are essential risk factors for BRVO. The traditional Chinese medicine hexuemingmu (HXMM), consisting of tanshinol and baicalin, dilates the vasculature and accelerates microcirculation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and possible mechanism of HXMM in a BRVO rat model established by laser photocoagulation. Successful BRVO rat models were treated with different doses of HXMM. Fundus photography and fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA) of the animals were applied. The retinal layers were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Full-field electroretinography (ffERG) was applied to evaluate the retinal function. The ear vein flow velocity was measured via a microcirculation detector. The expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-α) was measured via western blotting and immunofluorescent staining. Our study found that retinal edema predominantly occurred in the inner nuclear layer (INL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL). The retinal edema of the treated groups was significantly relieved in the early stage of BRVO as visualized via OCT detection and HE staining. The amplitudes of the b wave and oscillatory potentials (OPs) waves of ffERG in the treated groups were increased compared with those of the control group at several detection points (3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21 d postocclusion). The expression of VEGF-α was reduced in the treated groups at an early stage of BRVO. Furthermore, the ear vein flow velocity of the HXMM treatment groups was faster than that of the control group. Thus, our study indicates that the traditional Chinese medicine HXMM could ameliorate retinal edema and rescue the retinal structure and function in BRVO models through promoting occluded vein recanalization, improving microcirculation, and regulating the expression of VEGF-α.

Gluconeogenesis in Cancer: Function and Regulation of PEPCK, FBPase, and G6Pase

Cancer cells display a high rate of glycolysis in the presence of oxygen to promote proliferation. Gluconeogenesis, the reverse pathway of glycolysis, can antagonize aerobic glycolysis in cancer via three key enzymes - phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase). Recent studies have revealed that, in addition to metabolic regulation, these enzymes also play a role in signaling, proliferation, and the cancer stem cell (CSC) tumor phenotype. Multifaceted regulation of PEPCK, FBPase, and G6Pase through transcription, epigenetics, post-translational modification, and enzymatic activity is observed in different cancers. We review here the function and regulation of key gluconeogenic enzymes and new therapeutic opportunities.

Design, synthesis, in-vitro thymidine phosphorylase inhibition, in-vivo antiangiogenic and in-silico studies of C-6 substituted dihydropyrimidines

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is an angiogenic enzyme. It plays an important role in angiogenesis, tumour growth, invasion and metastasis. In current research work, we study the effect of structural modification of dihydropyrimidine-2-ones (DHPM-2-ones) on TP inhibition. A series of eighteen new derivatives of 3,4-dihydropyrimidone-2-one were designed and synthesized through the structural modification at C-6 position. All these new derivatives were then assessed for in-vitro inhibition of thymidine phosphorylase (TP) from E. coli. Oxadiazole derivatives 4a-e exhibited excellent TP-inhibition at low micromolar concentration levels better than standard drug 7-deazaxanthine (7-DX). Among all these compounds, 4b was found to be the most potent with IC₅₀ = 1.09 ± 0.004 μM. Anti-angiogenesis potential of representative compounds were also studied in a chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Here again, compound 4b was found to be the potent anti-angiogenesis compound in a CAM assay. Docking studies were also performed with Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) to further analyse the mode of inhibition of these compounds. Binding mode analysis of the most active inhibitors showed that these are well accommodated into the binding site of enzyme though stable hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions.

Effects of chronic dexamethasone administration on hyperglycemia and insulin release in goats

Background

Dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid, is among the most commonly used drugs worldwide in animals and humans as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agent. GC has profound effects on plasma glucose level and other metabolic conditions. However, the effect of prolonged use of Dex on glucose metabolism in ruminants is still unclear.

Results

Ten goats were randomly assigned to two groups: the control goats were injected with saline, and the Dex-treated goats were intramuscularly injected daily for 21 d with 0.2 mg/kg Dex. The results showed that plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were significantly increased after Dex administration (P < 0.05). Additionally, the content of hepatic glycogen was also markedly increased in Dex-treated goats (P < 0.01), while the content of glycogen in dorsal longissimus was unchanged by Dex (P > 0.05). The expression of several key genes, involved in blood glucose regulation, was detected by real-time PCR in the small intestine, skeletal muscle and liver. The expression of glucose transporter type 2 (GLUT2), sodium-glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1) and sodium-potassium ATPase (Na-K/ATPase) in the small intestine were generally increased by Dex, and GLUT2 mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). In liver, the expression of genes involved in gluconeogenesis including glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit (G6PC), cytosolic form of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK1) and pyruvate carboxylase (PC), were significantly down-regulated by Dex. However, the protein expression levels of PCK1 & PCK2 were significantly increased by Dex, suggesting a post-transcriptional regulation. In dorsal longissimus, the mRNA expression of genes associated with gluconeogenesis and the insulin signaling pathway were generally up-regulated by Dex, but the mRNA expression of two markers of muscle atrophy, namely F-box protein 32 (FBXO32/Atrogin1) and muscle RING-finger protein 1 (MuRF1), was not altered by Dex.

Conclusions

Taken together, these results indicate that chronic administration of a low dosage of Dex induces hyperglycemia mainly through gluconeogenesis activation in the goat liver.

Correlation of SASH1 expression and ultrasonographic features in breast cancer

Objective

SASH1 is a member of the SH3/SAM adapter molecules family and has been identified as a new tumor suppressor and critical protein in signal transduction. An ectopic expression of SASH1 is associated with decreased cell viability of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to explore the association between SASH1 expression and the ultrasonographic features in breast cancer.

Patients and methods

A total of 186 patients diagnosed with breast cancer were included in this study. The patients received preoperative ultrasound examination, and the expression of SASH1 was determined using immunohistochemistry methods. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between SASH1-positive expression and the ultrasonographic features.

Results

The positive expression of SASH1 was observed in 63 (33.9%) patients. The positive expression rate of SASH1 was significantly decreased in patients with breast cancer (63/186, 33.9%) compared with controls (P<0.001). The positive expression rate of SASH1 was significantly decreased in patients with edge burr sign (P=0.025), lymph node metastasis (P=0.007), and a blood flow grade of III (P=0.013) compared with patients without those adverse ultrasonographic features. The expression of SASH1 was negatively correlated with edge burr sign (P=0.025), lymph node metastasis (P=0.007), and blood flow grade (P=0.003) of the patients with breast cancer.

Conclusion

The expression of SASH1 was inversely correlated with some critical ultrasonographic features, including edge burr sign, lymph node metastasis, and blood flow grade in breast cancer, and decreased SASH1 expression appears to be associated with adverse clinical and imaging features in breast cancer.